It has been forty years since
Richard Thompson entered the public stage
as co-founder of the Fairport Convention.
Since then he has built up a magnificent body
of work, and a reputation as one of the finest
songwriters and guitarists (both acoustic
and electric) on the planet. Somehow, however,
he has never received the commercial appeal
so richly deserved.

This is yet another powerful and rewarding
release in a career of staggeringly high consistency.
It also contains some of his darkest sentiments.
For example, the Dad in one of
the key tracks, Dads Gonna Kill Me,
is short-hand for Baghdad and describes the
thankless task of soldiers in that conflict:

The following song, Poppy-Red, recounts the
death of a wife or lover (Now my love
makes her bed where poppies grow over her
head) while Guns are the Tongues recounts
the recruiting of young lads into the IRA.
Of course, darkness is not new to the Richard
Thompson canon (a 1990s compilation was aptly
called Watching the Dark), but
I expect that the level of despair inhabiting
many of his songs may come as something as
a shock to the uninitiated. Yet Thompson was
never one to pander to the tastes of the masses,
and this is something that has earned him
great loyalty among, ahem, Dickheads (as we
are sometimes called!).

This album doesnt contain specific
tracks that catch the attention as immediately
as, say, Beeswing (1994), 1952 Vincent Black
Lightning (1991) or Shoot Out the Lights (1982),
but repeated hearings reveal a complex, unified
body of songs. A number of the tracks are
absolutely superb. Take the Road you Choose
contains some of Thompsons most wistful
singing and an achingly beautiful refrain.
Francesca has a reggae feel to it, intercut
with sharp, inimitable guitar work and wonderful
percussion (played by Michael Jerome). The
lyrics of Too Late to Come Fishing, in their
depiction of a fall from grace conjure memories
of Dylans Its All Over Now, Baby
Blue. The penultimate track, Guns are the
Tongues, packs a dramatic punch, and is surely
one of Thompsons greatest story songs.
The guitar line on Sunset Song has echoes
of Cold Kisses (from You? Me Us?) and is an
evocative and deeply satisfying piece to end
this fine album.

A word must be said about Danny Thompson
(no relation) who provides superb support
on most of the songs. One of the greatest
living acoustic bass players, he has played
on many of the key recordings of the last
40+ years (including those by Pentangle, Bert
Jansch, Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, and even
Rod Stewart). When the two Thompsons play
together (as they have frequently on record
and on tour), they virtually never fail to
impress.

To my mind, Sweet Warrior is Richard Thompsons
finest release since Rumor and Sigh, back
in 1991  an outstanding achievement
given the prolific (and excellent) output
he has shown in recent years. In the 1960s,
Thompson often turned to Bob Dylans
songs for inspiration. It seems fitting that,
decades later, both artists remain at the
top of their game when many, if not all, of
their contemporaries are left trading on past
glories.